Seniors Look Back on Letters They Wrote as Freshmen

Ashlyn Haney, 2025 Psychology Graduate

When Ashlyn Haney first stepped onto the UMHB campus in 2021, she was uncertain about her future, homesick for her home state of Colorado, and just beginning to navigate the realities of college life.

“I had no idea what I wanted to do. I knew I wanted to help people, but beyond that, it was all a blank page,” she recalls.

That sense of uncertainty is echoed in a letter she wrote to her future self at the end of her first semester. Her words revealed a young woman wrestling with big questions, yet grounded in faith and a desire to grow.

“My major is undecided. I’m potentially leaning towards social work, but I have no idea!” she wrote. But after changing majors a few times, the Lord led her at the end of her freshman year to declare her major in psychology, and she walked across the graduation stage this May.

Ashlyn's first year was marked by unexpected challenges, like a frightening car crash with her roommate, but through it all she saw God’s provision and those tests helped strengthen her faith.

“I tend to put a lot of pressure on myself, especially on things I can’t control, and that’s been something I’ve had to learn – to let go and sit back and let God work things out that I can’t,” she said. “I’ve learned to give myself grace as I’m trying to figure out what the rest of my life is going to look like.”

Moving two states away from her family was one of the hardest things for Ashlyn her first semester, but she also remembers the other adjustments she had to learn, like controlling her own schedule, learning time management and adapting to the Texas heat.

“It was horrible at first going to class,” she laughed. “I remember one time looking at the weather forecast in September and it was like 101 degrees that day and thinking, ‘What in the world?’”

Despite being far from home, she found community and strength in her new environment.

“I was really homesick at first,” she admits, “but I also loved the people I met. That made all the difference.”

One of the things she wrote in her letter was to “remember to always be kind and to love others and that you have a place in this world.” Four years later, she feels like with Christ’s help, she has done a pretty good job of following that advice throughout college.

“I always pray every day that I can love others as Christ loves us because I think it’s important to always be kind, and I still try to live by that."

What stands out most to her in reflecting on her letter is how much she’s grown and “come out of her shell.”

“I have grown so much. When I came in as a freshman, I was quiet and shy, but now, I’m more outgoing and I’m definitely more willing to talk to strangers that I’ve never met or get up in front of the class and talk to people,” she said. “I’ve kind of grown into myself and discovered who I am and who I want to be. I’ve also definitely grown more confident, and I think that has come with growing closer to the Lord.”

Louis Jackson, 2025 Film Studies Graduate

When Louis Jackson wrote a letter to his future self as a freshman, he ended it with a prayer: “I pray that my future self does not squander the time at UMHB and stays on top of everything that I will need to get done.”

Four years later, standing on the other side of graduation, Louis can confidently say: mission accomplished.

Reflecting on his time at UMHB and how closely it mirrored the hopes he laid out in his freshman letter, he said, “I remember writing that letter and not really knowing what the next four years would hold.”

But reading it again now, four years later, he is proud of all he accomplished.

One of the biggest themes in his letter was a desire to stay active on campus. Louis hoped to participate in events like Crusader Knights and wanted to be a Cru Leader after experiencing the fun of Welcome Week earlier that year. Those ambitions became reality.

“Crusader Knights was such a fun and rewarding experience,” he said. He also participated in Stunt Night three years and was a Cru Leader his sophomore year.

His involvement went far beyond those roles. Throughout his four years, Louis strengthened his film production skills in Cru Films, a student organization that produces short films. As a freshman, he participated in his first short film with Cru Films, serving as an editor.

“Being a part of Cru Films short film this semester was a lot of fun,” he wrote. That involvement sparked a lasting passion, solidified his major choice and helped shape his college experience.

He also followed through on his desire to build strong relationships. “I wrote about watching Ninjago every Wednesday with Katy (his freshman Cru Leader) and her friends,” he recalled with a laugh. “That was something we did every week to relax and get our minds off school, and it was great while it lasted.”

He also met his fiancé, Kelsie Keele, his freshman year during Stunt Night. The two got married just two weeks after graduation and moved to Round Rock where she got a job in nursing and he is looking for his first job as an editor.

Louis’ freshman letter closed with hope and determination, and his senior reflections reveal a student who not only hoped for but also had a fulfilling college experience at UMHB. “Everything I prayed I would do — staying active, staying grounded and meeting amazing people — all came true. I did it, and I really didn’t squander the time!”

Grecia Macias, 2025 Nursing Graduate

When Grecia Macias first sat in a quiet corner of the library to write a letter to her future self, she had no idea how prophetic that moment would become. “It made me tear up a little,” she said recently, rereading the words she penned as a freshman. “It’s just crazy to see all that’s changed.”

Grecia was nearing the end of her first semester of college when she wrote that letter. Finals loomed, emotions ran high and uncertainty clouded her vision. In the letter, she wrote candidly, “Throughout this semester, there were many times where I felt like giving up because it was getting too difficult for me both emotionally and academically,” she wrote. “I would feel alone at times because I lost some friendships I thought would last, but God later placed special people in my life that I knew I needed.”

She remembers telling her mom that she wasn’t sure if she was cut out for college.

“I was so overwhelmed,” Grecia recalled. But her mom reminded her of her purpose: “The Lord called you here, and He opened so many doors for you to be here. He’s going to open doors that no man can open.”

And open doors He did.

Grecia struggled with anxiety, homesickness and a crushing sense of uncertainty.

“It was just one big question mark over me,” the Brownsville native said. Her breakthrough came after becoming roommates with Victoria Kuntz (featured on page 17). “She poured into me with so much wisdom from the Lord,” Grecia said. Their friendship, along with others that followed, brought clarity and encouragement.

Perhaps the most trying moment was her journey into the nursing program. After failing her entrance exam twice, Grecia surrendered her plans to God.

“If it’s not from you, Lord, I don’t want it,” she prayed. It was on the third try – in that same library where she wrote her letter – that peace wrapped around her like a blanket.

“I wasn’t nervous, I wasn’t shaking. I knew it was the Lord sustaining me and giving me the peace that I desired,” she said. That day, she passed, and she was accepted into nursing school.

Her faith and resilience guided her every step, along with a few scriptures she included in her freshman letter, especially Isaiah 41:10 and Jeremiah 29:11, verses she had cherished even before college. “God has not given me a spirit of fear,” she reminded herself.

Grecia’s vision for the future shifted slightly from what she wrote in her letter. Once set on becoming a physician assistant, she now plans to pursue a master’s in education and become a nursing professor some day. “About two years ago, I really found a passion for teaching,” she said. “I had so many amazing professors in the nursing program who poured into me, and just seeing how passionate they are about it, I’d love to talk about it and teach it to other students.”

Now, four years later as she starts her career as a nurse at Baylor Scott & White Hospital in Temple, Grecia still hears her freshman words echoing to her from her letter: “Freshman me is cheering you on right now.”

Victoria Kuntz, Public Relations Graduate

When Victoria Kuntz penned her “Dear Future Me” letter as a freshman at UMHB, she was filled with dreams, spiritual passion and the uncertainty that comes with starting college. Now, having crossed the graduation stage, Victoria can look back with a heart full of gratitude and a story that beautifully bridges who she hoped to become and who she is today.

When she first arrived on campus, Victoria was a journalism major with dreams of becoming a news anchor. But practicality won over when she realized graduation would come a little sooner if she switched to public relations.

Her freshman-year letter mentions her love for her First- Year Collective (FYC) Bible study group – a group that, years later, would circle back into her life, particularly her senior year this year when she served as director of the Easter Pageant.

“It’s super cool because my FYC group actually came back to me this semester,” she said. “My assistant director for Easter Pageant was also in my FYC group. That made a full circle.”

One of the most profound changes Victoria noted was in her faith.

“In my four years at UMHB, I was able to grow my faith and grow in everything and begin to see what the Lord has for me.”

She also spoke of the spiritual gifts she recently discovered in leadership, communications and pastoring, and marveled, “This girl in this letter would have been like, no way that’s gonna happen.”

Her path through college was far from smooth, as she dealt with health issues, homesickness and academic pressure. But she says, “That was 100 percent God’s doing. There’s no way that wasn’t His plan.” The anonymous donor from her hometown church who paid her first year’s tuition was just one of many signs that affirmed her journey.

As she closes this chapter, Victoria is filled with peace and purpose.

“I feel like I’ve done the things I’ve been able to do and what the Lord has called me to, and I’m really fulfilled by my time here.”

One thing that stands out in Victoria’s freshman letter is the wisdom she offered herself: “God will give you more than you can handle, but never more than He can handle.” Now, as a graduate, she affirms those words with deeper understanding.

“I had no idea how true that would become,” Victoria said. “There were times I was overwhelmed, but every time, God showed up in ways I couldn’t have imagined.”

Victoria leaves UMHB with a degree, a heart shaped by faith and a future still unfolding. “It’s a bittersweet moment, but it’s also really sweet because I’m looking forward to the next chapter of my life.”